It's been tough for Gigolos to stay current and move with the changes of music in the past year, and even though the strain is showing, I think Volume Seven in the International Deejay Gigolos series of compilations for the most part works. Bands like Freaks, Fat Truckers, Psychonauts, Dirty Criminals, Playgroup (heard here under his real name Trevor Jackson), Mick Wills (from Bevis Frond), Liquid Sky, Richard Bartz, David Carretta, Linda Lamb, Pink Grease, Mount Sims, Terranova, Gina X, and DJ Hell are a list of some old and new names, all adding something to contend with and to offer. Only a few sidesteps keep this compilation from being incredible. Fischerspooner have never really done that much for me and L.A. Song is an electronic pop song which sounds out of its league amongst the others. Chris Korda seems along for the ride and is less than stellar on Sensitive Data. And even though the DJ Hell mix of a P. Diddy / Kellis song is here and rare, it's not that great.

The highlights outweigh these lowpoints. Right off the bad, I was loving Freaks' The Creeps (You're Giving Me), another song to add to the stalkered paranoia canon of songs. I'll always love Fat Truckers, but why they need to keep including Teenage Daughter on compilations is beyond me? Why not Down in Motion or Anorexic Robot, much better songs? No matter, I suppose, Teenage Daughter is an ok song from a great band. Psychonauts album left me a bit cold on the whole, but I certainly enjoy their best songs and Hips of Scotland is one of them (even if its an shortened edit). Dirty Criminals' LSTNDTX is a real stormer, trancing out with a rhythm box slap and it's one of my favorites here. Other highlights on disc one include Liquid Sky's Rhythm Box (where she sings " Me....me and my....rhythm box" to a pulsing synth rhythm), David Carretta's Colors (which has an early New Order styled vocal over a Tangerine Dream styled rhythm, makes for interesting results), Linda Lamb's Meadowlands (another of my favorites from disc one, Linda sounds like a cabaret star here), and Pink Grease's Manhattan on Fire (a punk rock Pink Grease style instrumental).

Adriano Canzian's Macho Boy is a riotous song to start out disc two - just watch for that robotic profanity. Terranova's I'm Allergic features vocals by Ari Up (from the Slits), her vocals sound really great once you get past the introduction/dub and hear the rocking out track. Silvio Manuel Is the Darkness by Silvio Manuel (of course) is a synthy and breezy, but dark instrumental. Gina X's No GDM (Psychonauts remix) has a pretty nifty thick bassline and awesome female echoed vocals. And of course this compilation is an excellent way to get the Tomas Andersson remix of DJ Hell's latest single Keep on Waiting (without splurging on the 12 inch single which was reviewed here) - this mix pumps along nicely and is a fine primer for Hell's platter.